Internal-combustion engine



I. O. ALIVIEN.

INTERNAL COIVIBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I9. 192|.`

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. 01 ALIVIEN.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATloN FILED FEB.19,1921,

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INTERNAL COIVIBUSTION ENUINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. I9, 1921.

1,41 1,556, lPatented Apr. 4, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. ALI/IEN. y INTERNAL COIVIBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I9, 1921.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

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FIGS

JOHN 0. ALMEN, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

I'1 ,ll-11,556.

Specification of Letters Patent.

lxatented Apr. 4, 1922.

'Substitute for application Serial No. 163,561, filed April 21, 1917. This application filed February 19, 1921. Serial No. 446,515.

To all 'whomz't may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN O. ALMEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Seattle, county of King, State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion enginesand more especially to improvements in engines of the type illustrated and described in U. S., patent application, S'erial Number 114,982 filed by me August 15, 1916.

In an engine of the referred to type wherein is employed awabbler actuated by a plurality of pistons reciprocating in cylinders disposed parallel to the driving shaft, an important problem is to connect said wabbler to the various pistons so as to minimize lateral strains and friction.

Another problem is to neutralize or overcome the vibrating movements imparted to the engine by the momentum of the reciprocatory pistons. l

Another problem is the design of a valve to' withstand the relatively high temperature and pressure obtained within the engine cylinders, rendering it diilicult to pack and lubricate, and effect a non-leakable seat or joint, due tothe p-resence of solids in the exhaust gases.

The object of my improvements is to provide mechanism and valves which will operate satisfactorily with a consequent increase in the efiiciency of the engine.

With these and other minor objects in View, the invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, shown in the drawings and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an explosive engine embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken through line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section. of a piston and its connection with one of the wabbler arms.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken through line 4 4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a sectional View through line 5 5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an end elevation taken from the right hand side of Figure 1.

The engine is of the type in which the pistons reciprocate in a line parallel to the crank shaft and effect rotation of the shaft through the'medium of a wabbler which is mounted on the shaft in such a manner that its axis lies in inclined relation to the axis of the shaft.

The engine preferably contains a multiple of cylinders arranged in a circle about the shaft and also preferably consists of twosets of such cylinders on either side of the wabblers, for, altho one set of cylinders only is necessary, it will be seen that double the power will be generated by the use of two sets of cylinders at no great addition of parts, since one double ended piston may be made-to serve in twfoopposed cylinders, and also the wabbler'is common to both.

The wabbler is mounted on the crank shaft, preferably on ball bearings, because of their low friction. However, they must be of such construction as to withstand both radial and thrust loads. Plain or roller bearings may also be used in this position.

In an engine of two sets of cylinders, double ended, the wabbler is preferably placed between the cylinders, and connection made between the piston and wabbler at the center of the piston. Since' the path traced vby any point on the wabbler is a curve, it is necessary that the joint to the piston be capable of universal action, which is preferably accomplished by `providing spherical extremities on the wabbler and a corresponding socket piece to connect to the piston. j

When the engine is in operation, a turning eiect is produced on the crank shaft and, therefore, an equal and opposite turning movement is set up in the englne structure, which gives the wabbler a tendency to rotate with respect to 'the cylinders and, therefore, means to prevent such rotatlon become necessary.y Such means may consist of a bevel gear mounted on the wabbler meshingwith a bevel gear of equal number of teeth mounted to the cylinders, .or of an extension from the wabbler running between guides attached to the cylinders.

In this engine, however, a new principle is employed. It will be seen that the spherlcal extremity of the wabbler will rise and fall on the arc of a circle as it reciprocates, further analysis will show that 1t moves from side to side a distance equal to the length of the arc, if permitted to follow its natural course, the combined 'result'of these motions is such that the center of the sphere and also any other point lying in the plane perpendicular to the wabbler .axis and passing through the intersection of the crank shaft axis and the 'axis of the wabbler describes a true circle in a plane perpendicular to the crank shaft axis. If, therefore, the joint from the wabbler` to the piston be made to permit this circular motion, and at the same time to confine it to its natural limits, it will serve as means'to prevent rotation of the wabbler by applying side.pres sure on the pistons. In the guide method of holding the wabbler, if the 'guide'be made in a stralght line, that part of the Wabbler which lies radially in line with the guide will not be permitted its natural side motion and, therefore, the side motion of other points on the wabbler will be increased, setting up unbalanced forces. In the gear method all motions are true, but it offers disadvantages of construction. The principle used in this engine offers a wide choice of construction. The joint itsel` may be varied to consist of universal joints lat each piston, or rolling cone, as illustrated in my application, filed March 6, 1917, Serial No. 152494, or in the construction of my application filed for reissue September 17, 1917, Serial No. 191876. As the construction of this joint is not made the basis for claims in this application, it is, therefore, understood that various methods may be employed for accomplishing this result, it is also not necessar that the piston oppose the turning ten ency of the wabbler since obviously other reciprocating or non-reciprocating means may be employed.

As illustrated, the engine is provided with a frame having member 10 interposed between two members 11, the latter being bored to furnish pairs of axially alined power cylinders 12, which are arranged parallel to, and concentrically about the engine shaft 13. The pistons 14 for each pair of cylinders are rigidly connected to or 'formed integral with each other. Provided within each pair of pistons are spaced annular shoulders 15 against which are seated annular plates 16 serving .as thrust bearings for orbitally movable blocks 17, each having a socket 171 disposed to accommodate the globular extremity 18 `of an arm 181 which extends radially from a hub 182.

Said arms .and hub constitute a wabbler whose hub is mounted by means, preferably of ball bearings 19, upon a journal 20 providedon a sleeve 201 whichis secured by a key 202 to the engine shaft 13. Said journal is, moreover," arranged to have its axis inclined with respect to the shaft axis, so that the wabbler will be caused by the reciprocating movements of the various pistons to impart I rotary movements to the shaft. The shaft at each end of the sleeve 201 is desirably journaled by means of ball bearings 2l provided in a housing 111 of the engine frame. L

Provided in each end of a block'17 is a recess 22, which communicates with a recess 24-in the opposing face of the adjacent plate 16. 23 represents balls, vone for each end of the block, and by extending into the respective communicating recesses 22, 24, serve to couple a block to the associated plates.

For the purpose of introducing .a block, the recesses of the plates connect with apertures 241, into which the balls may be brought to temporarily withdraw them out- 90` side of the planes of the block ends. Said plates are secured against rotary motion relative to the cylinders, preferably byl pins 25 engaging in holes provided in the peripheral walls of the latter, and through slots 27 provided in the plates.

In the arcuate movements of the wabbler extremities 18, the latter will each be caused to take a path in a plane rectangular to the axis of the` associated piston, whose locus will describe a course resembling that of the numeral eight (8). To accommodate such movement, the respective recesses are made of somewhat greater diameters than that of the balls, and the communicating ones disposed to liave'their axes out of alinement with each other, as indicated in Figures 3 and 4.

' The recesses at one end of a block are desirably disposed to be in oset relation to the axis of a piston and upon the diametrically opposite side the piston axis from the recesses at the other end of the block. This will be underood from an inspection of Figure 4, wherein, for clearness, the most adjacent recesses are respectively designated by 22 and 24, while those at the remote end of the block are denoted by 221 and 242 with the respective balls denoted by 23 and 231. The purpose of thus positioning the recesses is to render the balls capable of orbital travel and yetprevent any rotary motion occurring to the pistons.

As the outer end of each cylinder is a single port 121, serving for both gas inlet and outlet purposes. To regulate the How of gases in both directions, I provide at each end of the engine a valve, see Figures 1 and 5, in the nature of a wheel having a substanl tially annular shaped rim portion 28, hereinafter designated as the valve, connected by spokes 281 With a hub 282, which is rotatably mounted on an eccentric 29 which, as shown, is secured to the shaft 13 by means of a key 30. The eccentrics 29, one for the valve at each end of the engine, are disposed to have their axes disposed at that side of the shaft axis so that the centrifugal force of the respective valves will be applied to act counter to the unbalanced moments due to the reciprocation of the various pistons with respect to the shaft axis.

It is obvious that inertia forces of the wabbler and corresponding reciprocating parts act in such manner as to cause excessive vibration unless counterbalanced.- As illustrated in Figure 1, it is to be observed that all of the reciprocating weight abovethe crank shaft exerts a pressure to the right since all points in this plane are being accelerated toward the left or are being retarded while moving to the right, and since all Weightat these points oppose a change of state, a resulting inertia pressure is exerted toward the right. For like reasons, all reciprocating Weight below the shaft exerts a pressure toward the left. The result of the combined forces is to tend to cause rotation of the entire structure about an axis lying in the plane of the Wabbler perpendicular to the crank shaft. If the reciprocating weight be symmetrically disposed on the wabbler about its axis, then this unbalanced turning moment will be constant in intensity for any position of the crank shaft and may, therefore, be opposed by counter-Weights attached to the crank shaft, so placed and proportioned as to centrifugally set up a turning moment on the same axis, Vequal in intensity and opposite in direction to the inertia moment. One Such counter-weight should be placed to the right of the wabbler, as is shown, having its center of gravity above the crank shaft axis, and one should be placed to the left of the wabbler ,having its center of gravity below the crank shaft axis. It will be seen that the eccentrics which carry the valves fulfill the conditions required of the counter-weights as to the position of their center of gravity. However, the centrifugal force of the eccentrics themselves is not great enough to overcome the unbalanced inertia forces, but since the center of gravity of each valve lies on its axis of rotation, which is also the center line of the eccentric, the Weight of the valve is added to the Weight of the eccentric and then the combined centrifugal force is used to counterbalance'the inertia. forces as described. The fact that the valves rotate upon their eccentrics does not effect their value as counterweights since such rotation does not change the position of their centers of gravity with respect to that of the eccentric.

The hub 282 is provided With peripherally disposed spur teeth 28s which are successively engaged by the teeth 31 of an internal st-ationary gear which may desirably bc formed about a relatively large circular opening provided in a frame member 32 and concentric to the shaft axis.

It will be seen that rotation of the crank shaft Will cause successive teeth of the valve gear to come into mesh With the internal gear, which is attached to the cylinders, and since the valve gear contains a lesser number of teeth than the internal gear, a rotary Inotion will be imparted to thenvalve, while at the same time it is caused to reciprocateby reason of its eccentric mounting.

By such devices the valve is caused to be rotated through the medium of the gear While being revolubly carried about the-axis of the shaft With a resultant succession of epicycular movements being imparted to the valve. A valve is operable in a recess or chamber 33 provided in the engine end and seats against a Wearing plate 34 at its inner end and at its opposite side against the adjacent head 35. Said head, as indicated by full and broken lines, respectively, in Figures 1 and 6, is provided with a circular intake manifold passage 36 having an open-r ing 361 by which it may be connected with a supply pipe, and a circular exhaust gas manifold/37, having an outlet at 371 whereby it may be connected to a discharge pipe.

Said passages are provided With ports, 362 and 37 2, one of each for the respective cylinders. The valve is, however, in an engine having the number of cylinders shown in the illustrated embodiment, provided with three passages, 38, for the intake gases, and three passages, 39, for the exhaust gases, said passages being located and inclined with respect to the axis of the engine so as to register, upon occasion, with the cylinder ports 25 and the appropriate ports of the manifold passages, and subject to the erratic travel of the valve. The valve passages are for the purpose of making quick openings and closings of communication between the manifold ports and the cylinder ports, desirably made of substantially arcuate forms in the plane of their travel, and are severally arranged, as shown in Figure 5, about axes of the cycloidal paths which they traverse in their revoluble travel.

The speed of rotation, direction of rotation and number of opening in the valve, follow certain definite laws.

In this engine, containing seven cylinders, three sets of ports 'are employed, and the valve rotated one sixth'of the crank sha-ft speed on the opposite direction. However, it is possible to rotate the valve at one eighth the crank shaft speed providing it is rotated in the same direction as the crank shaft and containing four sets of ports.

Other changes in speed, direction and number of parts are obvious.r It will be seen, that definite division on the valves correspond in time and position to the piston strokesthat is, the part of the valve containing` the intake passage will always be passing a cylinder port as the piston in that cylinder iS moving on its out stroke, the part containing the exhaust passage moves by a cylinder during the in stroke and another section of the valve will always be opposite a cylinder port, while the piston is on compression stroke, and likewise, another section sf moving opposite a cylinder port during expansion stroke. Forthese reasons three points on the valve midway between an exhaust Aand intake passage measured on the long arc always present themselves at a cylinder port at the time when the piston in that cylinder has completed the compression stroke and is ready to fire. If, therefore, spark plugs be placed in the valve at these points and caused to spark at the proper time, then only three plugs will be needed to serve seven cylinders and since they move with the valve they'are exposed to. only a relatively small amount of heat for they are present in the heat of combustion for only a short period of time and then move oil to comparatively cool position, thus avoiding a common source o n trouble.

40 represent ignition plugs carried by the valve and extending into pockets 41, which successively open into the cylinder ports 121. One of the terminals of each ignition plug may be grounded through the engine frame and the other terminal is provided with aV lating material for the respective pistons.y

In operation, the balls 23 positioned with- 1n the communicating recesses 22 and 24, whose axes are in offset relations with each other and with respect to the axes of the aseccentric 29 and the gear drive, imparted.

thereto a succession of helical movements so as to not only effect quick port opening and closing movements, but likewise causes any point upon the valve to take such erratic paths that hard substances between the valve.-

and its opposing surfaces will not cut or abrade grooves therein, but will have a tendency to maintain the seats in perfectly plane surface.

At each of the ports 121 and interposed between the respective cylinder and a wearing plate 34, is an expansible ring 341 having its periphery taper in opposite directions from a central ridge to engage in conical shaped recesses in the. plate and associated cylinders. Because of such sloping ends, the rings in their tendency to expand, will exercise axial thrusts against the wearing plates to press the latter against the respective valves, whichv are thereb pressed against the ends of the engine. he rings 341 thus not only provide close joints between a valve and both the engine head and a wearing plate, but also afford non-leakable communications between the valve ports and the passages in the wearing plate. A still further functionl of the referred to rings is to secure the wearing plates vfrom rotating.

It is' well known that rotary valves of different types have been tried, and without exception have failed. Failure in the great majority of cases being` due to excessive heating or failure of lubrication, or both, since each would result in the other. Also, the tightness of the joint against leakage of the gases requires that good film of lubricant be maintained between the rubbing surfaces. The problem of a rotary valve is, therefore, much simplified, if, at the start, it is known that lubricating conditions are good and with motion such as this valve has, in which ithere are no two successive points on the valve which follow the same paths on the adjoining surface, the action is one that will greatly assist the spreading of the lubricant and also make improbable the destruction Cf the surfaces through the action of foreign substances.

In order that the valve may be properly cooled, the adjoining surfaces are water cooled and since the film of lubricant is complete the conditions for the conduction of heat from the valve to the cooling medium are ood.

at I claim as new is:

1. An engine of the class described having in combination a plurality of cylinders provided respectively `with a single port, reciprocatory pistons within the respective cylinders, a shaft, operative connections between. the pistons and shaft for driving the latter, a rotary vvalve eccentrically mounted upon said shaft and of such counterbalance as to set up a turning moment on the same axis equal in intensity and opposite in direction to the moment of the inertia. forces incident to the reciprocating weights about the shaft. l

2. A11 engine of the class describedhaving,in combination, aplurality of concentrically arranged cylinders, a single port for each said cylinders, reciprocatory pistons .within the respective cylinders, a shaft, op-

erative connections between the pistons and shaft for driving the latter, a rotary valve for controlling said ports for the admission and exhaust of gases to and from the cylinders, and means influenced by the rotation of said shaft whereby the inertia forces incident to the reciprocato-ry pistons will be neutralized.

3. An engine of the class described having, in combination, a plurality of concentrically arranged cylinders, gas inlet and outlet ports therefor, a reciprocatory piston in each of the cylinders, a shaft, concentric connections between the pistons and the shaft fo-r driving the latter, a valve for said ports, said valve being actuated by the shaft, and eccentric means carried by said shaft for neutralizing the inertia forces incident to the reciprocation of said pistons.

4. An enginel of the class described having, in combination, a plurality of cylinders, a shaft arranged concentrically thereof, pistons arranged for reciprocatory movements in the respective cylinders, operative connections between the pistons and the shaft for driving the latter and counterweights positioned upon said shaft and proportioned as to centrifugally Set up a turning moment on the same axis equal in intensity and opposite in direction to the moment of the inertia. forces incident to the reciprocation of the pistons.

5. An engine of the class described having, in combination, a plurality of cylinders, a shaft arranged concentrically thereof and in parallel relations to the cylinder axis, pistons arranged for reciprocatory movements in the respective cylinders, rotary valves for controlling the ports for admission and exhaust of gases to and from the cylinders, eccentrics mounted on said shaft adapted to carry said valves, one of said eccentrics disposed with its center of gravity above the shafts axis and the other of said eccentrics disposed with its center o-f gravity below the shafts axis, whereby the centrifugal force exerted thereby will neutralize the inertia forces incident to the reciprocation of the weights about said shaft.

6. An engine of the class described having a rotating valve for controlling the ports for the admission and exhaust of gases to and from the cylinders thereof. and means for mounting said valve upon the shaft of. said engine whereby, during its rotation no two successive points on the valve will follow the same path on the adjoining surface thereby rendering improbable the destruction of the abutting surfaces through the action of foreign substances.

7 An engine of the class described having, in combination, a plurality of cylinders arranged concentrically with respect to a shaft, driving connections between the pistons and the shaft, a valve for controlling the intake and exhaust passages of said cylinders, an eccentric rotatable with said shaft and serving'as a journal bearing for the valve, said valve being provided with gear lteeth, and a non-rotatable gear engageable with said gear teeth and rendered operative by said eccentric to effect the rotation of the valve at a speed less than that of the shaft.

8. An engine of the class described having, in combination, a plurality of cylinders arranged concentrically with respect to a shaft, driving connections between the pistons and the shaft, a valve for controlling the intake and exhaust passages of said cylinders, an eccentric rotatable with said shaft, and serving as a journal bearing for the valve, said valve being provided with gear teeth, and a non-rotatable gear engageable with said gear teeth and` rendered operative by said eccentric to coact with the latter and impart both rotary and radial movements to the valve.

9. An engine of the class described having, in combination, a plurality of cylinders arranged concentrically with respect to a shaft, driving connections between the pistons and the shaft, a valve for controlling the intake and exhaust passages of said cylinders, an eccentric rotatable with said shaft and serving as a journal bearing for the valve, and positive means rendered operative by the rotation of said eccentric whereby the valve is caused to rotate while being revolubly carried by the eccentric.

10. An engine of the class described comprising, in combination, a shaft, a plurality of cylinders arranged in parallel relations with and concentric of said shaft, a valve rotatable about an axis eccentric of the shaft, and provided with inlet and exhaust ports for the respective cylinders, means to rotate said valve, an ignition plug carried by the valve into firing relations with the respective cylinders, a brush carried by said ignition plug, and an electrically connected plate and the engine head and having ports adapted to be revolubly carried to afford communication between the ports of the aforesaid passages and the cylinder ports through the medium of the respective plate apertures,l and means serving to yieldingly -serving as a journal bearing for the valve, hold the valve in juxtaposition with said and means operatively engaging said valve 10 engine head and the plate and also'serving to rotate the same about lthe axis of the to afford a non-leakable connection between eccentric While being orbitally carried by the cylinder ports and the plate aperture. the latter. e

, 12. In an engine, an eccentric, means to Signed at Seattle, Wash., this 14th day rotate said eccentric, a valve for controlling of February, 1921.

the engine cylinder ports, said eccentric JOHN O. ALMEN. 

